Features

The irrepressible Dr J.C Fernando – athlete, medic and gentleman

Published

4 years ago

2021/11/14

by Dr NiHAL DAMErAsEkErA

Janaka Chandana Fernando (JC)– the name raises a smile on everyone’s face. He is a force of nature that brings happiness to all around him. Gregarious, sociable and flamboyant are all descriptions that come to mind portraying a person whom we have all come to know and love since medical schooldays. He had that irrepressible bohemian flair which was associated with medical students of the 1960’s.

In our citadel in Kynsey Road, no one epitomised the era more than JC. He enjoyed its trappings abundantly. Being from that great institution, Royal College, he knew the large contingent from that school that filled our batch and almost filled the rest of the Faculty of Medicine. JC became an integral part of the Faculty sooner than most.

I first got to know him during the infamous rag. He knew many of the raggers but got no reprieve. He struggled like the rest of us. JC didn’t suffer the indignities gladly. In his usual forthright manner, he did let them know how he felt, muttering under his breath what he thought of it all.

Many will remember JC arriving at the Faculty Cycle Shed every morning on his Honda 50 motorbike. The canteen was his first port of call for the customary ‘tea-punt’. He was a popular guy in our batch and spoke with everyone and was friendly to all. With his affable ways JC made friends with the girls more easily. This made the rest of the boys envious.

JC was never shy to speak his mind and with his loud voice he stood out in a crowd. Born to blush unseen, we always made fun of his jet-black skin which he accepted with civility. For his regal demeanour I often called him the ‘Dark Knight’. All through medical school he wore brilliant white shirts and trousers. With his sparkling white teeth this enhanced the contrast no end.

JC was an outstanding athlete at Royal College. I recall seeing his name in the sports pages of the daily newspapers for his many achievements at school and inter-school athletics. In 1957, JC broke the school’s inter-house 440 yards record held by Summa Navaratnam, an impressive feat. At the Public Schools Meet in 1958, Royal College won both the Tarbat and Jefferson Shields. This must be ingrained in the school’s athletic history as the pinnacle of JC’s achievements when he captained the Royal College Athletics team that won the 4×440 yards relay breaking the Public Schools Record. A great honour for a rare feat.

JC won the University of Ceylon Colours for Athletics from 1961 to 1965 and represented the University Track and Field Team in 1964 at the All India Inter-Universities Meet held in Jaipur. Despite being vocal, his simplicity stood out. To my knowledge he never bragged about those brilliant achievements. For several years he coached the Royal College Athletics Team. At his old school, JC was the medical doctor and physical training instructor for the Rugby and Cricket teams for a good 20 years. For his loyalty, presently he is a Vice-President of the Royal College Union. He is particularly proud of his magnificent collection of cups, medals and trophies from those golden years. They adorn his trophy cabinet with distinction and pride.

JC was tenacious, competitive and single minded. He knew what he wanted and did what was necessary to achieve his goals. His determination never faltered. Once he had an idea in his head, there was no letting go of it. He is often frank and candid and this attracted controversy. In any argument he was persuasive. JC was never a push-over and fought his corner to the very end. Perhaps these are characteristics of a competitive sportsmen. Despite all this he was charming, helpful and kind and was well liked.

Gaining entrance to the Faculty of Medicine in the 1960’s was a gargantuan task. The available spaces were limited, there were hordes of applicants and the competition was fierce. To be a top athlete he had the natural ability and talent and the discipline to practice regularly. This required staying in the school grounds at the end of the school day. Returning home late in the evening, tired, one required stamina and self-discipline to get back to books and revision. Hence to gain entrance to the Faculty of Medicine demanded much more than intelligence and the Midas touch. We were fortunate to have several fine sportsmen and women in our batch who had the grit, determination and the strength of character to be successful. They added an extra dimension to our batch and to the life of the faculty.

He had tremendous enthusiasm for the social events in medical school. Being a fine musician, many of us got to know JC at the social functions. We sang and danced at the memorable and raucous evening booze-ups in the Men’s Common Room. My abiding memory at these events is the lithe figure of the ‘Dark Knight’ strumming his guitar, singing in graphic detail the itchy tale of “the dance of the phthirus pubis”. His signature song was “Saima cut wela” a tragic tale of a novice’s hangover and the effective home remedy. He sang “Suranganee-ta malu genawa“, tempting fate long before they became a pair! Those songs have never left my recall. As I listen to them now on YouTube I’m transported to those happy days of our youth. He was ever present at the dances held at the King George’s Hall of the University’s Science Faculty, twisting the night away to the music of the Harold Seneviratne Combo. Those evenings generated much gossip and scandalous tales of adventures. He capped it all with an enduring contribution to the final year trip making the days brighter and the nights merrier. This will remain a special memory.

In the rigid and grim environment of medical education, the Men’s Common Room was our refuge from the storms of life. I can still picture JC in that setting with a fag between his lips holding a cup of tea. He joined in the billiards, table tennis, carrom and the never-ending chit chats. He was an entertaining talker. If the truth be told he could be prickly and argumentative and there were frosty moments too. All through medical school my memories of JC are of a colourful, jolly guy ever ready for a chat and a laugh. He could talk about anything and everything. I associate him with much of our faculty jargon like ‘tea-punt’ and ’pol-mess machang’ and numerous vivid unprintable expressions delivered with a mischievous smile. These words he used frequently and to great effect. I could still picture him walking the long corridors of the General Hospital Colombo greatly animated, waving his arms relating a story. His tales were peppered with esoteric facts and his own brand of humour brilliantly embellished for good effect. I loved listening to his tales no matter how outrageous. Whether one agreed or disagreed with his views he presented them in such an amusing manner he could even make nonsense sound like a genuine and alluring revelation.

With the “finals” came the great dispersal in 1967. I lost contact with JC for several years. Both Suranganie and JC after a stint in the UK forged successful careers in Hong Kong. There his work in Orthopaedic Surgery flourished and he was greatly valued and respected. Those happy times were curtailed eventually by the demanding concerns for the education of their two daughters. I was a regular visitor to Hong Kong which was my wife’s country of birth. It would have been lovely to catch up with JC and Suranganie, only if I knew. I would have cherished their wonderful company and shared in his first-hand knowledge of the best watering holes in town.

I haven’t been a part of the multiple batch reunions in Sri Lanka. Hence our last meeting was around 2003. This was with Dr Lucky Abeygunawardene and we met up at the Sinhalese Sports Club. JC joined us for drinks and dinner. The ambience, good food and the ‘Double Distilled’ brought out the best in JC. Rarely boring or predictable, sometime brazenly outrageous, JC is excellent company. Many of the old stories resurfaced with the perennial batch tales. A tirade of ‘gossip’ rounded off a momentous evening. This is a memory I will treasure. Although not quite in the digital world, JC sent me emails giving his forthright views and observations about life back home.

We all recognise our medical faculty batch as a tribe. Both JC and Sura are faithful to the tribe and their old friends. I am aware they have been enthusiastic, generous and hospitable entertainers to the multitude of winter visitors from our batch and also to our medical community in Colombo. They have had a fascinating life together working in several countries, enjoying a good social life. Their two daughters have done them proud.

JC has had a rewarding professional career. We have enjoyed his company, humanity and joie de vivre. I do wish JC and Suranganie a long and happy retirement. His is a good life well lived and long may it last. By his achievements he has made his mark in the history of that great school and the Medical Faculty batch of 1962.

Acknowledgements: My grateful thanks to Prof Sanath Lamabadusuriya for providing the information hitherto unavailable in the public domain. Credits go to JC’s daughter Nilanthi and to his wife Suranganie for sending me those brilliant photos that light up the script.

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Features

Maduro abduction marks dangerous aggravation of ‘world disorder’

Published

22 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Venezuelan President Maduro being taken to a court in New York

The abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US special forces on January 3rd and his coercive conveying to the US to stand trial over a number of allegations leveled against him by the Trump administration marks a dangerous degeneration of prevailing ‘world disorder’. While some cardinal principles in International Law have been blatantly violated by the US in the course of the operation the fallout for the world from the exceptionally sensational VVIP abduction could be grave.

Although controversial US military interventions the world over are not ‘news’ any longer, the abduction and hustling away of a head of government, seen as an enemy of the US, to stand trial on the latter soil amounts to a heavy-handed and arrogant rejection of the foundational principles of international law and order. It would seem, for instance, that the concept of national sovereignty is no longer applicable to the way in which the world’s foremost powers relate to the rest of the international community. Might is indeed right for the likes of the US and the Trump administration in particular is adamant in driving this point home to the world.

Chief spokesmen for the Trump administration have been at pains to point out that the abduction is not at variance with national security related provisions of the US Constitution. These provisions apparently bestow on the US President wide powers to protect US security and stability through courses of action that are seen as essential to further these ends but the fact is that International Law has been brazenly violated in the process in the Venezuelan case.

To be sure, this is not the first occasion on which a head of government has been abducted by US special forces in post-World War Two times and made to stand trial in the US, since such a development occurred in Panama in 1989, but the consequences for the world could be doubly grave as a result of such actions, considering the mounting ‘disorder’ confronting the world community.

Those sections opposed to the Maduro abduction in the US would do well to from now on seek ways of reconciling national security-related provisions in the US Constitution with the country’s wider international commitment to uphold international peace and law and order. No ambiguities could be permitted on this score.

While the arbitrary military action undertaken by the US to further its narrow interests at whatever cost calls for criticism, it would be only fair to point out that the US is not the only big power which has thus dangerously eroded the authority of International Law in recent times. Russia, for example, did just that when it violated the sovereignty of Ukraine by invading it two or more years ago on some nebulous, unconvincing grounds. Consequently, the Ukraine crisis too poses a grave threat to international peace.

It is relevant to mention in this connection that authoritarian rulers who hope to rule their countries in perpetuity as it were, usually end up, sooner rather than later, being a blight on their people. This is on account of the fact that they prove a major obstacle to the implementation of the democratic process which alone holds out the promise of the progressive empowerment of the people, whereas authoritarian rulers prefer to rule with an iron fist with a fixation about self-empowerment.

Nevertheless, regime-change, wherever it may occur, is a matter for the public concerned. In a functional democracy, it is the people, and the people only, who ‘make or break’ governments. From this viewpoint, Russia and Venezuela are most lacking. But externally induced, militarily mediated change is a gross abnormality in the world of democracy, which deserves decrying.

By way of damage control, the US could take the initiative to ensure that the democratic process, read as the full empowerment of ordinary people, takes hold in Venezuela. In this manner the US could help in stemming some of the destructive fallout from its abduction operation. Any attempts by the US to take possession of the national wealth of Venezuela at this juncture are bound to earn for it the condemnation of democratic opinion the world over.

Likewise, the US needs to exert all its influence to ensure that the rights of ordinary Ukrainians are protected. It will need to ensure this while exploring ways of stopping further incursions into Ukrainian territory by Russia’s invading forces. It will need to do this in collaboration with the EU which is putting its best foot forward to end the Ukraine blood-letting.

Meanwhile, the repercussions that the Maduro abduction could have on the global South would need to be watched with some concern by the international community. Here too the EU could prove a positive influence since it is doubtful whether the UN would be enabled by the big powers to carry out the responsibilities that devolve on it with the required effectiveness.

What needs to be specifically watched is the ‘copycat effect’ that could manifest among those less democratically inclined Southern rulers who would be inspired by the Trump administration to take the law into their hands, so to speak, and act with callous disregard for the sovereign rights of their smaller and more vulnerable neighbours.

Democratic opinion the world over would need to think of systems of checks and balances that could contain such power abuse by Southern autocratic rulers in particular. The UN and democracy-supportive organizations, such as the EU, could prove suitable partners in these efforts.

All in all it is international lawlessness that needs managing effectively from now on. If President Trump carries out his threat to over-run other countries as well in the manner in which he ran rough-shod over Venezuela, there is unlikely to remain even a semblance of international order, considering that anarchy would be receiving a strong fillip from the US, ‘The World’s Mightiest Democracy’.

What is also of note is that identity politics in particularly the South would be unprecedentedly energized. The narrative that ‘the Great Satan’ is running amok would win considerable validity among the theocracies of the Middle East and set the stage for a resurgence of religious fanaticism and invigorated armed resistance to the US. The Trump administration needs to stop in its tracks and weigh the pros and cons of its current foreign policy initiatives.

Features

Pure Christmas magic and joy at British School

Published

22 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Students of The British High School in Colombo in action at the fashion show

The British School in Colombo (BSC) hosted its Annual Christmas Carnival 2025, ‘Gingerbread Wonderland’, which was a huge success, with the students themseles in the spotlight, managing stalls and volunteering.

The event, organised by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), featured a variety of activities, including: Games and rides for all ages, Food stalls offering delicious treats, Drinks and refreshments, Trade booths showcasing local products, and Live music and entertainment.

The carnival was held at the school premises, providing a fun and festive atmosphere for students, parents, and the community to enjoy.

The halls of the BSC were filled with pure Christmas magic and joy with the students and the staff putting on a tremendous display.

Among the highlights was the dazzling fashion show with the students doing the needful, and they were very impressive.

The students themselves were eagerly looking forward to displaying their modelling technique and, I’m told, they enjoyed the moment they had to step on the ramp.

The event supported communities affected by the recent floods, with surplus proceeds going to flood-relief efforts.

Features

Glowing younger looking skin

Published

22 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Hi! This week I’m giving you some beauty tips so that you could look forward to enjoying 2026 with a glowing younger looking skin.

Face wash for natural beauty

* Avocado:

Take the pulp, make a paste of it and apply on your face. Leave it on for five minutes and then wash it with normal water.

* Cucumber:

Just rub some cucumber slices on your face for 02-03 minutes to cleanse the oil naturally. Wash off with plain water.

* Buttermilk:

Apply all over your face and leave it to dry, then wash it with normal water (works for mixed to oily skin).

Face scrub for natural beauty

Take 01-02 strawberries, 02 pieces of kiwis or 02 cubes of watermelons. Mash any single fruit and apply on your face. Then massage or scrub it slowly for at least 3-5 minutes in circular motions. Then wash it thoroughly with normal or cold water. You can make use of different fruits during different seasons, and see what suits you best! Follow with a natural face mask.

Face Masks

* Papaya and Honey:

Take two pieces of papaya (peeled) and mash them to make a paste. Apply evenly on your face and leave it for 30 minutes and then wash it with cold water.

Papaya is just not a fruit but one of the best natural remedies for good health and glowing younger looking skin. It also helps in reducing pimples and scars. You can also add honey (optional) to the mixture which helps massage and makes your skin glow.

* Banana:

Put a few slices of banana, 01 teaspoon of honey (optional), in a bowl, and mash them nicely. Apply on your face, and massage it gently all over the face for at least 05 minutes. Then wash it off with normal water. For an instant glow on your face, this facemask is a great idea to try!

* Carrot:

Make a paste using 01 carrot (steamed) by mixing it with milk or honey and apply on your face and neck evenly. Let it dry for 15-20 minutes and then wash it with cold water. Carrots work really well for your skin as they have many vitamins and minerals, which give instant shine and younger-looking skin.